


Now or Never: It's All or Nothing

by baephi



Category: EXO (Band), 소녀시대 | Girls' Generation | SNSD
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, K-pop References
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-03-19
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:08:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23211514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baephi/pseuds/baephi
Summary: two people are faced by the choices, each one with its own consequences. will they hold on to what they have, or dare the unknown?
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Kim Taeyeon
Comments: 5
Kudos: 43





	1. Chapter 1

taeyeon wasn't understanding why the meeting was so urgent in the company, nor why none of the other members had been invited to it. they'd made a comeback just a year ago, but it felt like an eternity for taeyeon. she was relieved, however, that everything was working out. many were pursuing a career as an actress or looking for new things - like jessica, being the owner of a clothing brand.

suddenly the dorm used for eight consecutive years seemed too big just for her. "i need an apartment," she thought.

on the way to the company, she got lost in the landscape. seoul really never changes. she never found the city so interesting, but her career forced her to live there. she missed her parents' home, annoying her siblings and playing with ginger more often. good times.

"thinking about something very important?" her manager took her out of contemplation, and taeyeon gave her a light smile.

"not much," she replied. "do you know what this meeting is about? do you know if it's about the group?"

the eldest denied with her head, and taeyeon sighed, waiting a few more minutes until they got there.

as she arrived at the parking lot, even though it seemed to be a little empty, taeyeon noticed the van of another group standing there: exo.

she would recognize from afar. even if she could no longer be as public as she would like about them, she was still following all their activities and wishing the best.

"are they getting ready for a new comeback?" she asked her manager, who was walking next to her. the older one couldn't tell, so she just shrugged her shoulders and kept guiding taeyeon to the elevator. 

when they had already pressed the button on the second floor, a voice in the shed echoed: "hold the door!"

taeyeon was quick to put her hands on the doors before the elevator closed, but took a fright when she realized who was asking for it. baekhyun appeared breathlessly with his manager, and he also seemed surprised to see her there, but still thanked her.

the two managers talked like good friends, but baekhyun and taeyeon, on opposite sides of the elevator, could only feel…awkward. and a little uncomfortable. it had been a long time since they had seen each other in person, so they were clearly embarrassed.

as soon as the elevator stopped on the second floor, everyone left, and taeyeon felt a chill. it looked like something bad was about to happen, and it was very rare for her instinct to fail. grabbing her manager's arm, they proceeded to the meeting room in silence, being accompanied by baekhyun and his manager right behind.

her heart hurt a little to hear his voice. definitely hadn't seen him in months. baekhyun was too skinny, and with very deep dark circles in his eyes. it didn't look like him. 

but who was she to talk to? recovering weight was a difficulty for taeyeon, and she constantly used loose clothing to disguise that her bones were showing with ease.

they sat in the meeting room, taeyeon as far away from baekhyun as possible. but because of that round table - which she hated so much - it was impossible not to have a privileged view of whoever was accompanying them.

but, there were few chairs. and taeyeon was sure she only saw baekhyun in the company. where were all the others?

"good morning." the CEO walked into the room and she stood up in a leap to bow to him as well as everyone else. "thank you for coming."

he put the suitcase on the table and pulled some papers out, but initially kept them just for himself.

"um... you may be wondering why this meeting." the superior was clearly nervous, it was rare to see him that way. "this week we received the reports from the social media and web marketing department. we're modernizing our research in order to meet the public's ideas a little bit more. and in one of those, one thing that was very much in demand was a unit between girls' generation and exo."

"oh, that sounds good," taeyeon smiled. she was more relaxed to know that she had been called as a representative of the group after all. probably baekhyun was also in that role, suho was recording movies at that time.

baekhyun agreed. "since the smtown performances, a lot of people have really asked for it." he looked at the ceo. "we're here representing our groups so what are the proposals for our members?"

"actually, the unit we want to form... is with you two." the ceo responded seriously, analyzing their reactions simultaneously. the managers, who had listened until then in silence, widened their eyes, and the copies of the papers in the ceo's hand were passed on to them.

taeyeon widened her eyes in disbelief too. she was deaf for a brief second after the end of the sentence and the movements seemed slower. her head started to hurt. "what are you talking about?"

baekhyun stirred in the chair, looking for a comfortable position after hearing that, and was as surprised as she was, though more reserved. he just felt a chill in his stomach when he thought of spending more time with her, even as an artist. it seemed crazy that a wish like that would come true.

she didn't seem excited about it, though.

"as i said before, that was a request from the public." the CEO answered her. "and it sounds really good. you're two of the best vocalists in the company and in the industry, your voices go well together and..."

"no, stop playing that game. i can't do that, it's completely... do you remember what happened in 2014? the danger we were in? i can't risk going through that again, no." she said fast. her hands were shaking and in a matter of seconds her glass of water was already half full.

"taeyeon, calm down." her manager asks, concerned about the change in the mood. 

"no. this is mediocre. i will not risk having to go through all that again just to get into this. don't count me in." she was being hard headed.

baekhyun felt several parts of a ridiculous hope being destroyed. he understood her point, but the way she was talking was too crude.

"taeyeon, listen. this idea did not come up so that you would suffer again. actually, it has been around for a long time, but dispatch were quicker to announce your dating. so the idea never got off paper. but the fans really want to see a duet between you two. it's not just for the company." the CEO tried to alleviate the situation, but any word seemed like gunpowder in taeyeon's mood

the offer seemed tempting, sure if things ended well for them she would not hesitate to accept. working with someone you know would be comfortable, but little did they know both of them still have things left unsaid and to fix.

maybe this time — things will work out.

maybe, as what baekhyun thinks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you've reached this far, thank you for taking time to read this. we are grateful that you are here and we hope you liked the story. it's a collaboration between @ktyxbbh and @baekyeontwt — it's a gift to everyone of you who are waiting for stories and kept supporting baekhyun and taeyeon. we had so much fun writing this one and we hope you keep reading until the end, once again thank you for being here. we love you!


	2. what if

> _If I were to go,_  
>  _if I were to go close to you_  
>  _What would you think?_  
>  _Just thinking of this breaks my heart_
> 
> _If you were to leave,_  
>  _if you were to leave my side_  
>  _How would I ever let you go?_  
>  _I’m always fearful of this_

* * *

she remained silent for many minutes, fixed on a blind spot. suddenly, she got up.

"excuse me, i want some fresh air." and left as quickly as she said, leaving everyone confused and anxious.

"i'm going after her." her manager was preparing to get up when baekhyun went faster and held her shoulder.

" _i'll go. stay here, please_." she was obviously surprised, but didn't contest, realizing the man's eyes filled with determination.

baekhyun left the room and looked from both sides of the hall, seeing taeyeon sitting at the end of it, on the floor, her hands rubbing nervously through the face.

he walked slowly towards her.

"taeyeon." that's all he could sign. she wasn't surprised, she knew he was coming after her. but she didn't dare look at his face either.

**_baekhyun had seen her in more deplorable situations anyway._ **

_ "don't try. i won't agree with that." _

* * *

baekhyun remained silent, staring at her shrunken to the ground, hugging her legs covered by her jeans that already looked loose.

_ taeyeon and baekhyun had a great relationship. _

he was always a fan of hers, getting into SM entertainment turned out to be a bonus. but he never imagined that he would get so close to her. taeyeon gave him a lot of warnings to become an idol, and even in training, she made corrections to him - which he always gladly took.

inevitably, they ended up liking each other and dating. the codes hidden on the internet were hints, but never something conclusive. they didn't have to say they were dating.

_ apparently, the paparazzi didn't think that way. _

**_they ruined the 2 years taeyeon and baekhyun had built as people-not even as a couple, but simply as friends._ **

neither fandoms accepted. obviously it began: the death threats, the hate for no reason, the speculation that this was an attempt by the company to divert attention from other incidents that year. the whole thing had been extremely painful for both of them.

an end of relationship rumor began to circulate, and even though it was true, the company preferred never to say anything. they kept quiet and caused doubts for everyone.

everything they could've been was ruined.

and now there was an opportunity to redo everything. from the beginning. but she wasn't receptive to it at all.

"i understand what you think about this, but let's give it a try." his tone was mild as if talking to a child, and taeyeon slowly started paying attention to him. "we always did everything for the fans, didn't we? _let's try to do it for them again."_

"my fans hate you and yours hate me. even if they won't be able to stand it." she said directly. " _please, don't make things more difficult._ "

"but they are still fans. even though they will listen to the song just for you, i don't mind receiving criticism. we are doing it together, each with our own reason, and nothing else matters." baekhyun approached her, still keeping a safe distance. he wanted to take her hand and say that everything was going to be all right but he didn't want her to run away from the situation any further.

"sorry to disturb, lovebirds." the voice of one of the ceos echoed behind them and they both jumped in fright, lifting quickly and bowing to him. "i know this is a lot of information for now, but we decided to give you a week to think about all this. if 'no', we forget the idea. if you agree, great. within seven days you will be called here again. have a nice day." was all he said before he left them. jinduk was extremely serious with his work, to the point of scaring artists. but they knew it was for a good cause.

taeyeon was still kind of awkward from the talk, and left soon after, reaching her manager and leaving without looking back.

__

_ baekhyun sighed. within seven days he would have an answer, after all. _

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi! thanks to everyone who read the story (even though it only has one chapter so far), and who left kudos. i hope you like this chapter too and have a good time reading it (: - ktyxbbh
> 
> hello! thank you again for reading this one, hope you enjoyed what we wrote here and stay tuned for the next chapter, more drama is coming. it's also our first-time posting a story here so i apologize for the formatting errors. thank for leaving kudos too! - baekyeontwt


	3. Chapter 3

it's been two days after their last encounter, baekhyun would be lying if he said he isn't dying to know her answer. _what if she says no?_

he shaked off his doubt away, and tried to focus on the show in front of him. there weren't much activities and schedules for him lately, he just stayed inside and binge-watched shows to pass out time. 

his phone rang and it was a text message from his manager:

**_"so, did she say yes?"_ **

* * *

taeyeon didn't have a problem staying home, she was a homebody anyway. all she did was watching movies, baking, and playing with her dog, zero.

she felt a little guilty she's been ignoring the question — taeyeon isn't the kind of person who likes to put people on hold, in fact she likes to think about things clearly. making sure she doesn't regret the decisions she made.

taeyeon still isn't finished deciding though, of course as a top soloist and singer in the industry, she has received numerous offers from different kinds of people, musicians and artists to name a few. but this one is different, she would put her career on stake.

even though it's been years since the _scandal_ happened, she's been straying away from associating with popular singers for a while to avoid having rumors and headlines about her. especially male singers. _was she healed?_

not exactly, there's still a part of her who wants to be unapologetic and do the fuck she wants without caring about what the media says, and there's also a part of her that is careful and decisive; looking out for any future problems may arise. like being seen eating at a restaurant with a popular singer and netizens thinking she is dating. 

speaking of the _singer_ , she forgot to check her phone if he's texting her again. it was clear to her in the first place that they're just friends, but lately she's starting to get closer to him. 

**_"taengoo don't forget to eat your meals or this time i'll scold you for sure."_ **

she laughed, he really is a good friend that looks out for her well-being most of the time. maybe it's time for her to love someone again. to open up her heart to someone else.

sungyeol has always been openly a fan of hers. anytime he was asked about the most beautiful female idol, with the best voice, his ideal type, all the answers would end up in taeyeon. she always thought it was cute, like every time some male idol or trainee said the same thing. in fact she had a lot of fanboys.

suddenly, a memory popped into her head.

* * *

_taeyeon was walking quietly in the halls of the company. she was going to the water fountain before returning to the practice room and finishing the schedule for that day. 'the boys' had been a huge success throughout korea and girls' generation had worked like crazy, so that was their last performance and after that, they deserved a rest._

_in the water fountain, there was a boy. much taller than her, chubby, with wide clothes and seemed nervous. she approached slowly, but when he stared at her, he widened his eyes._

_"oh my. taeyeon-sunbaenim, hello." he said bowing to her, clearly nervous and his cheeks red._

_"hello!" she answered laughing. "no need to be nervous. are you alright? are you one of the new trainees?"_

_"y-yes._

_"yes to which question?" taeyeon asked, teasing the boy while drinking water, and he got even more nervous, stammering out of control. she couldn't help but laugh. "it's okay. what's your name?"_

_"baekhyun, byun baekhyun." the tallest answered shyly. taeyeon patted his arm._

_"that's a nice name. congratulations on joining the company." she opened a smile for him, who looked more relaxed and smiled back. "soon i hope to see you in a group, do your best. any help you need you can ask any of the seniors, including me, okay?"_

_"yes, taeyeon-sunbae-"_

_"oh, you can call me taeyeon."_

_"what? no!" his eyes widened in a funny way and taeyeon laughed. "i-i can't talk to a senior like that."_

_"so call me noona. okay?" he nodded really reluctantly. "i need to go now. good luck. baekhyun, fighting!" taeyeon made a fist and smiled, trying to cheer him up. he smiled back and bowed again, and the two turned to opposite paths, leaving._

* * *

memories that couldn't be forgotten, but taeyeon wished to. because that was all part of the once closeness between her and baekhyun. that no longer existed.

she still had contact with his best friends - exo members. chanyeol and suho were always very helpful and taeyeon really enjoyed their company. the others were still embarrassed in her presence but also admired her.

at public meetings, only baekhyun should act as if he didn't know her. as if one day he hadn't been her biggest fanboy.

taeyeon sighed. that unit the company had in mind couldn't be taken forward. they would be hated until death, and their careers would be ruined.

at the same time, taeyeon wondered if she was being too hardheaded. the company probably wouldn't give that idea if they weren't prepared to process naughty comments. the economic vision was also incredible: two of the industry's greatest vocalists uniting in duets. the cherry on the top was knowing they were exes.

speaking this way, it seemed like taeyeon hadn't forgotten baekhyun - when in fact it was an easy task. what hurt her was that they never had the support and the opportunity to make that situation more pleasant. she cursed each and every one of the dispatch stalkers, every day.

literally all the men in the industry were on their knees to her. taeyeon was polite, pretty, had a beautiful voice, leader of girls' generation. was there more to ask?

sungyeol felt like a lucky guy. he really admired taeyeon and was happy every day to see how much more she opened up to him, and allowed him to be a part of her life. after all, he was her first boyfriend after the relationship ended.

**_"thank you, but aren't you on promotions either? take care to perform your best on stage. sungyeol, fighting!"_ **

"oh my, look at her." jessica suddenly appeared behind her, spying on the cell screen.

that day, jung had nothing to do, either at blanc&eclare or at the company. so she decided to stop by the dorm to visit taeyeon. in a few minutes, other members would arrive too.

the uproar was huge when they heard about the meeting at the company.

"jessica! stop spying on me!" taeyeon exclaimed blushing.

"you're so cute, taeyeon." the youngest commented while laughing. "sungyeol, fighting!" she mimicked taeyeon's high-pitched voice as a tease and then laughed, getting a few slaps from the eldest.

"ugh. i miss tiffany." taeyeon grumbled.

tiffany had gone to USA. the company allowed her to produce her own songs and that included wherever she wanted. it had been a few months since she had visited korea. she, along with jessica, were taeyeon's best friends, but jung always took taeyeon's patience.

"i talked to her today. fany's fine, looks like she even gained more weight. she sent you a hug," jessica explained. "now, tell me. how was that meeting at the company?"

taeyeon sighed, guiding the youngest to the couch. "terrible. i felt completely lost, alone. as much as i love being a solo artist now, sica, i don't feel comfortable doing things alone. i miss our group."

"but taeyeon, you're not doing this alone. you're with baekhyun." jessica was trying to comfort, her hand on taeyeon's shoulder.

"yeah, with baekhyun." the older one snorted. "he really want to do this, and even tried to convince me, but i don't know if i can."

when she would start talking again, the door was opened, introducing more people.

"good evening!" yuri was the first to exclaim, carrying four boxes of pizza.

"it's already night, yuri." sooyoung was right behind with bags of soda and soju. taeyeon twisted her face. "hyoyeon, be careful the door doesn't close!"

the blonde immediately showed up at the door. "sorry, sunkyu is taking a while. the bag is heavy." in kim's arms, more bags. taeyeon recognized numerous candies.

"girls' night with no junk food isn't girls' night." sunkyu then appeared with paper bags filled to the brim.

yoona and seohyun didn't bring anything, so they just said good night and closed the door.

"i thought only a few of you would come?" jessica asked as surprised as taeyeon.

"we don't like your company either, babe." hyoyeon said to her and a pillow was thrown in her direction. they all laughed.

"sooyoung gave us the idea to enjoy the evening. we managed to cheat a little on our schedule and we're here now," yoona explained to the two elders, while beside yuri, organizing the food.

"our manager will kill us if she finds out we're eating all this crap." sooyoung said carefree. "as if i care."

taeyeon laughed.

"if it's girls' night out, go change and put on pajamas. your clothes are in the same places." she pointed to the rooms, and they all immediately ran to change.

after a few hours of a lot of junk food, weird stories and good laughs, the topic finally came back to taeyeon.

"taeyeon unnie, i think you should give it a chance," seohyun said with a full mouth, attracting the older one's attention. "it's another opportunity for you to show off your talent. it's about time these fans grow up and understand that you two are not their property.

"seohyun is right." sunkyy agreed. "you can't miss the opportunity to make amazing songs and performances because they're being petty."

"besides, we'll always be on your performances, cheering you up." yoona stood up and sat down next to taeyeon, trying to comfort her. "some of us here have literally nothing to do. we would always help you."

"all this affection is really weird." taeyeon said sarcastically, and they all laughed, complaining about her. "but thanks. i guess now i just have to make the decision, right?"

"you have some days left, enjoy some." hyoyeon filled her glass with soda. "you need to gain weight. you're too thin, taeyeon."

"that's true. have another piece of pizza." yuri pointed the box to her.

taeyeon smiled. she was happy to at least have all those people by her side to help her.

now she just had to say yes or no.


End file.
